Easy Ground Pork Tacos with Black Beans
These quick and easy ground pork tacos are full of slow-simmering flavor even though they only cook for a few minutes. The bright, fresh toppings add lots of great color and flavor without a lot of work. This recipe is gluten-free if you use GF corn tortillas and chili powder, and dairy-free if you skip the cheese.
Calories: 413kcal
Ingredients
For the pork filling
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil
- 1 large shallot minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound (454 grams) lean ground pork
- 1 15.5- ounce 439-gram can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5- ounce 411-gram can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne
To serve
- 12 taco-sized soft corn tortillas
- 4 ounces (113 grams) queso blanco or Cotija cheese, crumbled
- Pickled Red Onions
- 1 cup picked fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Warm the safflower oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
- Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, about a minute.
- Stir pork into skillet, breaking up with a spatula into small pieces, and continue cooking for a few minutes until lightly browned.
- Add beans, tomatoes (along with all their juices), salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and cayenne to skillet and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes.
- To serve, warm tortillas according to package directions. Fill each shell with some of the pork mixture and top with cheese, pickled onions, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend. If you prefer, you can use olive oil in this recipe.
- I call for lean ground pork because that's what I used to develop the recipe years ago, but you can make this recipe with "regular" ground pork. Unlike beef, it's not always labeled, but typically pre-packaged ground pork in U.S. supermarkets will have around 15% fat, and products labeled lean will be in the 10% or lower range. Sausage-grade pork is too high in fat to really shine in this recipe. I try to use heritage-breed pork these days, for both the superior flavor and the better animal welfare and environmental impact. If you like, you can read more about sourcing in the section below.
- Drain and rinse a can of black beans, or use the equivalent 1 ¾ cups cooked black beans.
- Use a small can of diced tomatoes, including their juices. You can use fire-roasted tomatoes if you like.
- Chili powder means the American-style spice blend, not pure ground chili.
- The filling keeps and reheats well, so you can make it up to a week in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for up to a year. Assemble tacos right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.3g | Protein: 37.6g | Fat: 17.3g | Fiber: 9.3g